Find a licensed cesspool and septic company in Southampton, NY

Who licenses cesspool and septic companies in Southampton

• Septic work in Suffolk falls under the county's Liquid Waste license, which covers residential and septic tank work along with commercial, industrial and sewer drain treatment work.
• Suffolk's Liquid Waste license comes with endorsements for specific work, such as septic tank pumping and conventional septic system installation, and county law sets out ten of them.
• For the septic tank pumping endorsement, Suffolk requires proof that the company owns a dedicated pump or vacuum truck, among other items.
• Applicants for Suffolk's Liquid Waste license must document 5 of the last 10 years of employment with a licensed employer.
• The Suffolk Liquid Waste license fee of $400 includes one endorsement, each additional endorsement adds $200, and the application fee of $200.00 is non-refundable.
• Under Article 5 of Suffolk's Sanitary Code, no business other than a municipality may remove, collect, transport or dispose of sewage or other offensive material without a permit.

State rules and the lookup steps: how to check a cesspool and septic company's license.

What the Town of Southampton requires

• Southampton's Town Code Chapter 123 requires an innovative and alternative septic system (I/A OWTS) for certain residential projects, and the Conservation Board or the Environment Division can also require one.
• Southampton directs technical questions about I/A system installations to the Suffolk County Office of Wastewater Management at (631) 852-5700.
• For a new house, Southampton's checklist calls for Suffolk County Department of Health Services approval on the original red-stamped Board of Health survey.
• To close out a new home and get its certificate of occupancy, Southampton wants the final survey stamped by the health department.
• Southampton's code enforcement policy says open wells and cesspools should be reported to Public Safety.
• The Town of Southampton's septic rebate pays a base of up to $20,000 plus, if approved, a $5,000 low to moderate income incentive, for a maximum rebate of $25,000.
• Southampton's FAQ names owners of property in a Priority Area of the Water Quality Improvement Project Plan, and owners replacing an existing sanitary system with an I/A system, as eligible. Owners outside a priority area with a collapsing system may also be eligible.
• Southampton issues rebates after the work is completed, once a complete packet goes to the Community Preservation Department, and a rebate must be processed within 1 year of the county issuing its Final Green Stamped Plans.
• The final Southampton rebate depends on total eligible costs and other grants received, and it does not cover expediting fees or landscaping fees unrelated to restoring the property to its earlier condition.
• To apply for Southampton's rebate, an owner completes the application and a W-9 form and returns them to the office by mail or email; the office's phone is 631-287-5720 and its email septicrebate@Southamptontownny.gov.

The Town of Southampton Building and Zoning Department handles permits (631-287-5700). Our Town of Southampton permit guide covers how to apply, inspections and certificates.

Homes in Southampton: what the Census shows

Across the Town of Southampton, villages included, the median home was built in 1983, and 22% of homes were built before 1960, 10% before 1940. 89% of the 46,089 homes here are single-family detached houses, and 82% are owner-occupied.

What cesspool and septic work costs here

Labor is a large part of any price. Long Island septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners earn a median $58,380 a year, from about $43,701 at entry level to $68,510 with experience. (New York State Department of Labor, wages updated to the first quarter of 2026.) Prices come from written estimates; more in the cesspool and septic cost guide.

• New York's State Septic System Replacement Fund can reimburse property owners up to 50% of the eligible costs of a septic system project, with no more than $10,000 paid per property.
• Official pages give different amounts for Suffolk County's Septic Improvement Program grant. The county's own program page says it provides installation grants of up to $20,000 per property, depending on whether the project qualifies.
• The state Environmental Facilities Corporation describes the Suffolk grant differently: a base of up to $10,000, plus up to $10,000 more for a pressurized shallow drain field ($5,000), for eligible low to moderate income applicants ($5,000), or both.
• Suffolk's septic grants page says owners in the Towns of East Hampton, Shelter Island and Southampton may be eligible for additional funding to replace an existing septic system with an I/A system.

Before you hire in Southampton

• Ask for the license number the work needs here (see who licenses cesspool and septic companies above), and check it before you sign.
• Ask who files with the Town of Southampton Building and Zoning Department, and who books the inspections.
• What did you find, in writing: the type of system, its condition and the water level?
• If I replace the system, does the design qualify for the grant programs that apply here?